Burchard, though, is proudest of a classroom-related statistic: 15 student athletes were selected as academic All-Americans last year. The coach believes intelligence is the key to any great team.

“Smart beats dumb the majority of the time,” Burchard said. “Guys that aren’t as smart are used to finding ways to screw it up.”

That philosophy has made the Cougars basketball team a perennial contender. They are three seasons removed from a national title game appearance and gunning for a third straight American Midwest Conference title. The players are smart enough to know Burchard has them pointed in the right direction.

“If he’s won all these games, how is what he’s saying not right?” sophomore guard Tanner Sutton asked. “We’ll be able to talk because we played for a Hall of Fame coach.”

Yes, Burchard is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, but his legacy extends much further. He's impacted many lives among the current 74,000-plus Columbia College alumni, and is remembered fondly for his off-the-court decisions.

Last month, the school created a scholarship in Burchard’s name, funded in part by Greg Johnston, a member of the class of 1991.

Johnston was Burchard’s first college basketball recruit, but he experienced major setbacks his freshman year, including a severe knee injury and the death of his mother.

“(Burchard) encouraged me to stay in school, and he worked to find replacement scholarships to make that possible,” Johnston wrote in a Nov. 2 letter to the Missourian. “Bob’s commitment to me is characteristic of his dedication to Columbia College.”

It’s a shame that Burchard will probably reach the 600-win milestone Tuesday against Central Methodist University in Fayette, and not in the gym he’s turned into a basketball haven.

Don’t expect him to care about petty things such as that, though.

“We won’t ever be judged by one event,” Burchard said. “You can win a lot of games, but if people don’t like what you do, you won’t survive.”